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taken in Bukovel in Ukraine , is the largest ski resort in Eastern Europe situated in Ukraine, in the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast (province) of western Ukraine. The resort is located almost on the ridge-lines of the Carpathian Mountains at elevation of 900 m (3,000 ft) above the sea level near the village of Polianytsia (Yaremche municipality) (about a half mile away). It is one of the most popular ski resorts in the Ukrainian Carpathian Mountains and is situated 30 km (19 mi) southwest of the city of Yaremche. In 2012 the Bukovel was named the fastest-growing world ski resort.The resort was pioneered in 2000 by a joint venture of Scorzonera Ltd. and Horizont AL as an all-year-round tourist and recreational complex. The research for potential ski fields and cableways of the first stage was conducted in cooperation with Plan-Alp, Austria, and Ecosign, Canada, who also finalized the master plan for the resort. By late 2001, a first 691-meter ski lift was launched at the Northern slope of Mountain Bukovel along with the projected chairlift ropeway at the Bukovel's north-western slope. The project was finished in Sept.-Oct. 2002 as a 1000-metre ropeway. In 2003 a second slope, 2A ski run with a chairlift was introduced, and in 2004 a 7A ski run with a surface lift started its operation. With mere 48,000 visitors in 2003, Bukovel welcomed 206,000 tourists in 2005-2006, 400,000 in 2006-2007 and 850,000 visitors in 2008-2009. The 2010-2011 winter season recorded 1,200,000 day visits with foreigners amounting to 8-10% of all visitors. In 2012 the Bukovel was named the fastest-growing ski resort worldwide.